The Exchange Program
by Mad Mad Madax
Summary: All-Might has retired from hero work after his final clash with One-For-All and the world is reeling at the loss of the Symbol of Peace. In order to combat the rising tide of villainy, principle Nezu has put the students of UA High on an accelerated track and brought in some new faces from overseas to help in their education and training. (T for language and violence)
1. Chapter 1

Mr. Aizawa stood in front of his homeroom class, watching them with lazy, half-lidded eyes. The usual quiet murmur of conversation that came from the students in the morning was noticeably louder, and noticeably more annoying. Aizawa sighed and scratched at his scruffy neck. Class 1-A was going to be hosting a few foreign exchange students. It was something the principal had thought up in order to take the students minds off everything that had happened recently. The reveal was meant to be a surprise, but as Aizawa listened to his students, it was clear someone had let the cat out of the bag. They were scattered in groups around the room, chattering away.

"I heard it's three really strong students from overseas." Giggled Mina. "I wonder if any of them are cute?"  
"I just hope they're nice, _ribbit_." Added Tsuyu. "It would be fun to make some new friends."

"Wonder what kind of quirks they have?" Asked Kirishima as he flexed his forearm. "Think they'll be able to keep up with us?"  
"Tch, are you kidding? Not a chance in hell." Spat Bakugo with a sneer.

"Oh, what if they don't speak Japanese?" Asked Hagakure. "Will we even be able to talk to them?"  
"Well I'm sure we can get over the language barrier someway." Assured Yaoyorozu.

"So, Deku, is it true!?" Uraraka asked as she planted her hands on Midoriya's desk. The young girl's eyes shone with excitement as she leaned forward. Midoriya scooted back in his chair, she was really close.  
"I-is what true?" He stammered.  
"You know, about the exchange students! Are we really getting new classmates?!" Uraraka whisper yelled at him. She leaned further across the desk. Midoriya gulped.  
"W-well, all I know is that All Might said we could expect some new faces around here. He said they were from 'out of town'." Uraraka retreated from the desk and clasped her hands in glee, Midoriya returned to an upright position with a sigh.  
"Oooh this is so exciting!" She exclaimed with a bounce, still trying and failing to keep her voice at a whisper. "I wonder what they're like, do you know where they're from?" Before Midoriya could answer Aizawa cleared his throat. The students dropped their conversations and quickly scrambled to their desks.

"Before we start class today, I have an announcement." Said Aizawa in a monotone voice.

"The exchange students!" Exclaimed Mina as she slammed her hands on her desk.

"Yeah, is it true?!" Followed Kirishima. "We really getting new classmates?"

"Settle down!" Snapped Aizawa. He sighed. "Only the faculty were supposed to have known about the exchange students, but obviously there was a leak." Aizawa eyed Midoriya, who quickly avoided his gaze. "Not that it really matters, though. They should be here any minute now." This statement caused a fresh round of excited chattering. Aizawa silenced the class with a cold stare before he continued.

"As you may be aware, crime has been on the rise since All Might went into retirement. Filling the hole that he left behind has proved difficult and has revealed how much this country relied on him as a deterrent to crime." The student's faces fell as they thought about the loss of their Symbol of Peace. "As a result, the country is in need now more than ever of a strong, cohesive hero force. Though you all are a long way from entering the work force as heroes, the school feels that it is important that you become experienced in working with new and different people. We hope to foster a sense of unity across up and coming heroes so that in the future this country and others like it do not depend so heavily on a single person. That is the purpose of the exchange program." Aizawa opened his mouth as though he had more to say, then paused and shook his head.

"Any questions?"

"How many new students are we getting" Asked Iida with a raised hand. The rest of the class perked up at his question, eager for more information.

"Dozens of international students will be attending UA this semester, and class 1-A will be hosting three of them."

"Where are they from?" Asked Sero.

"The three students our class will be taking in all come from the same school in the United States." Replied Aizawa.

"What are their quirks?" Followed Kaminari.

"Do they speak Japanese?" Asked Yaoyorozu.

"Are any of them girls?" Questioned Mineta.

Several more questions were peppered at Aizawa as the noise level in the room rose. An excited hum of conversation quickly filled the air. Midoriya opened up one of his notebooks and retrieved a pencil from the inside of his desk. He flipped to a fresh page and readied himself to take notes. He had been excited to get more information on the new students ever since All Might told him they were coming. A sudden knock on the door silenced the entire room. Aizawa eyed his students and walked over to answer it. Midoriya craned his neck toward Bakugo in front of him to get a glimpse of the hallway as the door slid open.

"Mr. Aizawa, your new students are here." The soft, familiar voice of principal Nezu floated into the room.

"Thank you Principal Nezu. I'll get them settled in right away." Aizawa stepped to the side and nodded his head. "Come on in." Midoriya craned his neck even further to get a better look.

"If you don't quit breathing down my neck, I'm gonna knock you through the damn wall." Growled Bakugo as Midoriya leaned closer and closer.

"Sorry Kacchan." Mumbled Midoriya, sitting back in his seat, his eyes never leaving the open doorway. The first person to walk into the classroom was a boy with straight, fine black hair that flowed down past his waist like a silken sheet. He was about Midoriya's height and had a slim frame with a sharp chin that when combined with his hair gave him an almost feminine appearance. His skin was pale, nearly white and he seemed to glide into the room like a ghost, a faint smile on his thin lips.  
A girl followed the black-haired boy, standing a full head and shoulders taller than him. Her curly, light brown hair was rolled into several thick braids that swung from side to side as she walked. Her skin was the color of cocoa and she had a round, child-like face that was furrowed in concentration. Her face, however, was the only immature aspect of her body. The girl had long legs and a full figure, Midoriya could practically feel Mineta's excitement behind him. Her movements were broad and weighted, a stark contrast to the boy she followed.  
A short boy followed the girl, his head just reaching the middle of her back. He walked with hunched shoulders and his hands in his pockets, his wild unruly blond hair falling around his face in wavy locks. His dark eyes peered out at the class from underneath a set of bushy blond eyebrows, the rest of his face was covered by a gray surgical mask. There was something odd about how the boy was staring at the class, his eyes flicking back and forth between students. Suddenly he locked eyes with Midoriya, and a chill ran down his spine. Midoriya immediately looked down to his notebook.  
The three new students stopped at the front of the class and Aizawa closed the door behind them. All three were already wearing the UA uniform. The black-haired boy stood at ease, still smiling softly with his hands behind his back. The girl fidgeted with the hem of her skirt; her eyes downcast. The blond boys' hands remained firmly jammed in his pockets as he eyed the class.

"Class, please welcome our new students." Said Aizawa with a gesture. "I'll let you three introduce yourselves." The black-haired boy stepped forward with a slight bow. His voice was smooth, slow, and exuded a quiet confidence.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you, my name is Nobasu Lee but please just call me Noba. I look forward to spending the semester with you all and hope we can all get along well." Nobasu smiled and stepped back, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear.

"His Japanese was perfect." Marveled Uraraka quietly.

"Yes." Replied Iida over his shoulder. "Quite impressive." The tall girl stepped forward next, her fists clenched at her sides as she bowed. Her high-pitched voice betrayed her size and there was a distinctly American twang in her words.

"M-my name is Briana, Briana Jones. It's nice to meet y'all. Thank you for welcoming us to your school."

"Her Japanese is pretty good too." Muttered Tsuyu. "They must have been studying the language a long time."

"And that accent is adorable!" Commented Mina in what she thought was a quiet voice. Briana stepped back into line, blushing slightly. A couple seconds of silence went by, then the short boy with the mask received a not so discrete elbow bump to the back of the head from Briana. The boy glared at her, but stepped up nonetheless. He bent forward, hands still in his pockets. His low, gruff voice was muffled slightly by his mask.

"Hi, my name is Tak." Midoriya scribbled down their names on three different pages in his notebook. He had already determined each of their heights based off a comparison to Aizawa and ballparked their weights based off their builds. After scouting hundreds of heroes in the same manner he was pretty confident his estimates were accurate. He began jotting down basic descriptions as Tak stepped back into line.

"So like I said, these three will be your new classmates for the rest of the semester. Which reminds me, I need to get some extra desks." Aizawa slid open the door once more. "Shoji, Sato, come with me. The rest of you, stay quiet until I get back." The two students obediently followed Aizawa out of the classroom. Mina was out of her seat as soon as the door closed.

"Hi! I'm Mina Ashido, nice to meet you! So you're from the Unites States huh? That's so cool! When did you learn to speak Japanese? Was the plane ride long? I love your hair by the way, how long did it take you to grow it? Wow you're tall, almost taller than Shoji! Why do you wear that mask, health reasons? I have some friends who like to wear those." Mina gushed at the trio with comments and questions, never waiting long enough for a reply before starting her next sentence. Nobasu and Briana were both smiling, but clearly uncomfortable with the barrage of questions. Tak just stared at the pink girl. It was Iida who came to their rescue.

"Mina, please stop harassing our new classmates!" He said firmly as he power walked to the front of the room. "I understand your curiosity but please contain yourself. I'm very sorry," apologized Iida with a bow as he pushed Mina back.

"Hey" She cried in protest.

"Allow me to introduce you to our class. This is Mina, as you already know. My name is Iida, I am the class representative. If you need anything at all please let me know." Iida bowed again and Briana waved a hand at him.

"Haha no it's fine." She laughed nervously. "Really we don't mind answering a few questions."

"Speak for yourself." Mumbled Tak. He received another elbow from Briana.

"Well first allow me to introduce everyone to you." Said Iida, pointing a hand at the rest of the class. "Starting in the back row to the far left is Uraraka, Sato who went with Mr. Aizawa a second ago, Todoroki, and our vice representative Yaoyorozu. The next row up is Koda, Tokoyama, and Mineta. In the middle row is Tsuyu, Kirishima, Sero, and Midoriya." Each person raised their hand or nodded in acknowledgement as their names were called, save for Midoriya whose nose was buried in his notebook.

"_Hey, is that guy taking notes_?" Briana whispered to Nobasu in English. The boy smiled.

"_Heh, he looks so focused, who does that remind you of_?"

"Moving on to the next row." Iida continued, oblivious to the whispering. "We have Kaminari, Jiro, and Bakugo. Finally, up front here is Aoyama, Ojiro, Shoji who also went with Mr. Aizawa, and Hagakure." As Iida finished, he turned back to Nobasu, Briana, and Tak. "I understand that is a lot of names to remember at once, please do not hesitate to ask if you forget."

"Thank you, Iida." Replied Nobasu. "That was very helpful. Now I know you all probably have some questions for us. As long as there's time we will do our best to answer them." Mina took a breath but was immediately cut off by Iida.

"Yes, and we'll do this in an orderly fashion." He said, pointing a hand at Mina. The pink faced girl retreated to her desk with a pout. Iida stepped to the side and cleared his throat. "One at a time now." Mina and Midoriya's hands were instantly in the air, several more followed soon after. "Okay, Mina first, then Midoriya." Delegated Iida.

"What part of the United States are you from?" Asked Mina excitedly. "What's it like?"

Nobasu was the first to answer. "Like Mr. Aizawa said we all go to the same school. It's a private boarding school located on an island next to New York City called Rikers High School. Before the advent of quirks, the island was used as a prison but now it serves as an isolated, safe training ground for up and coming heroes. It is an extremely respected school and has produced some of The United States' top heroes."

"As for our homes," continued Briana, "we came from all over. I'm from a small town in south Alabama, Nobasu is from California, and Tak is actually from New York so he didn't have to move far. Alabama is hot and humid for most of the year and even in the winter the temperature rarely drops below freezing during the day."

"California temperatures can vary wildly depending on what part you live in, but the sun is bright and the air is sweet no matter where you are." Said Nobasu with a smile. The two looked at Tak expectantly.

"….New York is cold." He muttered with a sigh. Briana rolled her eyes and Nobasu sniffed as he tried to hide a laugh.

"That's so cooool!" Fawned Mina. "What-"

"Mina please, Midoriya was next." Cut in Iida with a hand chop.

"Thanks Iida." Midoriya spun his pencil in his hand. "So, if you don't mind answering, what quirks do you have? I'm really curious." There was a murmur of agreement throughout the class.

"Well, my quirk is called Photosynthesis." Began Nobasu. "My skin is able to absorb light and use its energy in different ways. Kind of like a solar panel." Briana twirled one of her thick braids in her fingers, her face scrunched in concentration.

"How best to translate its name?" She wondered aloud. "I guess Terrakinesis would be the most accurate. It allows me to control earth-based materials with my mind." Midoriya scribbled furiously as the other students began to spout off follow up questions.

"So like, can you never get sunburned?" Asked Kirishima.

"What's the biggest rock you ever lifted?" Followed Kaminari.

"Who does your hair?" Questioned Hagakure, though it was unclear if the question was directed to Briana or Nobasu.

"Everyone please!" Yelled Iida, silencing the class. "Allow Tak to answer Midoriya's question if he so wishes." The shaggy haired blonde boy glared at Iida.

"…No comment." He mumbled. Midoriya lowered his pencil, slightly disappointed. Briana sighed and crossed her arms a dejected look in her eyes.

"Very well, now then who was next?" Asked Iida. It was at that moment that the door slid open and Aizawa walked in flanked by Sato and Shoji who were loaded down with three desks and three chairs between the two of them.

"Everyone slide your desks to the right so we can make a new row." Ordered Aizawa. There was a massive scraping of desks and chairs as the class shifted. Sato and Shoji set the desks they were carrying in a line to form the new row. The first went next to Hagakure in the front, the second next to Bakugo, and the third next to Midoriya.  
"Go on and pick a seat." Sato and Shoji returned to their desks as the three new students took their own. Tak sat in the front with Nobasu behind him and Briana in the back next to Midoriya. As the girl took her seat Midoriya realized he may have misjudged her height, she was even taller than he had initially estimated. He quickly flipped back to her page in his notebook and made the adjustment. Mumbling to himself as he wrote. Briana glanced at Midoriya's notes and saw her name at the top of the page.

_"So he really was taking notes on us." _She thought to herself with a laugh. _"Wait till I tell him, those two would have a field day if they met." _Nobasu glanced over his shoulder and caught Briana's bemused look. He grinned and gave her a nod, they had the same idea. Bakugo noticed the exchange and turned on Midoriya.

"Hey dweeb, why don't you put away your damn creeper diary for a minute huh? You're freaking out the newbies." Midoriya closed his notebook and slid it into his desk sheepishly.

"Sorry Kacchan. Oh and sorry Briana, Nobasu."

"Don't worry about it." Replied Briana with a wave of her hand.

"It's not a problem." Agreed Nobasu. "So, it looks like we'll be sitting next to each other Kacchan. It's nice to meet you." Nobasu extended his hand to Bakugo, who grabbed it and did his best to crush without causing a scene.

"Call me Kacchan again, and I _will_ kill you." He replied through gritted teeth. Midoriya ran a hand over his face. "The name is Bakugo Katsuki." To Bakugo's surprise, the black-haired boy didn't even flinch as his hand cracked under the intense grip.

"Understood, nice to meet you Bakugo." Said Nobasu with a smile. Bakugo sucked his teeth and withdrew his hand. Up front Hagakure leaned over to Tak.

"Hi, I know Iida already introduced us but I'm Hagakure. If you have any questions just let me know. Tak stared at the top of Hagakure's uniform, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

"Where is your head?" He asked. This time Nobasu was the one to run a hand over his face. Hagakure replied in her usual cheery manner.

"Oh, that's my quirk, Invisibility! My whole body is completely invisible."

"Huh." Tak squinted his eyes and stared as though he was trying to visualize a head on top of her uniform. "Neat." He said dryly.

"All right that's enough chatter, let's get started with today's lesson." Aizawa took to the board at the front of the class. There was a shuffling of papers as the students withdrew their notebooks from within their desks. Nobasu, Briana, and Tak all looked within their desks and found that they had been stocked with various school supplies. They all withdrew a notebook and joined their new classmates in taking notes.

Meanwhile in another part of the school, principal Nezu returned to his office after having shown all the new exchange students to their classes. A tall, slender man in a well fitted suit sat slumped in a chair in front of Nezu's desk. His long, spiky yellow hair hung over his gaunt face as he stared out the window past the desk. Nezu hopped up into the chair behind his desk and spun to face the man.

"Thank you for your help today All-Might, it would have taken me hours to show all the new students around." Said Nezu with a smile.

"It no problem." Replied All-Might as he continued to stare out the window. "Since retiring from hero work, I have a lot more time to spend at the school. Pouring into these kids is all that I have left to offer." Nezu continued to organize his desk as All-Might talked. "It's a blessing really, this old body of mine was on the brink of falling apart and now that I've officially retired, I can focus what's left of my energy on training this next generation of heroes." All-Might sighed and trailed off.

"But?" Prompted Nezu.

"But I can't shake this feeling," continued All-Might as he locked eyes with Nezu. "That I left at the worst possible time." Nezu put his paws together and rested his chin on them. He smiled.

"It's true, losing the Symbol of Peace has left a hole in our society that is impossible to fill. Having a single person bear the weight for the morality and security of the country was shortsighted and left us in quite the vulnerable position. It's a mistake that future generations will have to learn from. But make no mistake, All-Might, no one blames you for this. It was the structure of our society that led to such an extreme set of circumstances."

"I just wish I could have done more." Said All-Might with a sigh.

"It's exactly that mindset that made you such a great hero, and also what made the country depend on you in such a way." Nezu slid out from behind his desk and faced the window, smiling as the sun warmed his face. "If all people shared your goodwill and selflessness, well, we wouldn't need heroes in the first place." All-Might rose from his seat with a grunt and joined Nezu by the window. "That suit looks good on you, by the way. Glad to see you finally wearing clothes that fit you." Nezu chuckled.

"So what happens next?" Asked All-Might, ignoring Nezu's comment. "You're always thinking three steps ahead, why did you initiate the exchange program now of all times? The students were just getting settled in after we implemented the on-campus dormitories." Nezu took a deep breath and held his hands behind his back.

"The country is in a state of transition, and I want to make sure we transition in the right direction. Up until now our school, along with the rest of the country, has put emphasis on training and glorifying powerful heroes. Heroes who solve problems with overwhelming power and incredible force provided by their quirks. You, being the prime example. Even the admission test for our school is biased towards these types of quirks. I tried to mitigate this by implementing the hero-villain point system during last year's test, but still there are people falling through the cracks whose quirks could be a great asset to the hero community."

"So how does bringing exchange students here help with that?" Questioned All-Might.

"Several of the schools we pulled from when gathering the exchange students use a unique system for training heroes that I am quite fond of. It varies from school to school but in essence the principle is the same. In these schools students are allowed to form pairs in order to take entrance exams, if the two students get accepted to the school they are then allowed to remain paired up for the rest of their academic career. The two students take regular exams on their own and do their own coursework, but when it comes to quirk related examinations and hero evaluations they team up and take on the test together." Nezu's eyes took on a twinkle as he continued to explain.  
"By working together, two students whose quirks may have been overlooked for their weak or ineffective nature can find ways to become a powerful force. Together they can become greater than the sum of their parts! It is a wonderful example of strength through cohesion rather than power through individual might, and is exactly the kind of mindset I would like to impart on the heroes of the future."

"If the students can see the benefits of working together firsthand, they'll be more likely to give and accept help from each other in the future." Mused All-Might. "And since they are all living together in such close quarters it may help further strengthen their bonds."

"Exactly!" Beamed Nezu. "And if the country sees that heroes can be stronger working together in these types of symbiotic relationships then that will open the door for programs like the ones I was just talking about to be implemented here. In turn those programs will allow a wider variety of people to become heroes thus strengthening the hero force as a whole."

"That's some plan." Said All-Might "How long have you been thinking about this?"

"Hmm, long enough I suppose. Of course this is all just conjecture, a prediction of what may happen."

All-Might laughed. "And when was the last time one of your predictions was wrong, huh?" Nezu smiled knowingly and returned to his desk.

"It will take time to change the mindset of an entire society, but it starts here." Nezu leaned back in his chair. "I believe we are in for an interesting semester."

All-Might's eyes shone in the sunlight as he stared out onto the campus grounds. His role had changed, but the goal was the same. In order to protect the country he loved, All-Might would train the next generation of heroes to be better than he ever was. "Yeah, looking forward to it."


	2. Chapter 2

_Name: Briana Jones  
Alias: Unknown  
Height: 187-190 cm  
Weight: 85-87 kg  
Hair Color: Brown  
Skin Color: Light Brown  
Eye Color: Green  
Quirk: Terrakinesis – Briana has the ability to control earth based materials with her mind. More data necessary for further analysis.  
Strengths: Unknown  
Weaknesses: Unknown_

_Name: Nobasu Lee  
Alias: Unknown  
Height: 167-170 cm  
Weight: 55-57 kg  
Hair Color: Black  
Skin Color: White  
Eye Color: Light Blue  
Quirk: Photosynthesis – Nobasu can absorb and use light energy in different ways. More data necessary for further analysis.  
Strengths: Unknown  
Weaknesses: Unknown_

_Name: Tak  
Alias: Unknown  
Height: 155-158 cm  
Weight: 51-53 kg  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Skin Color: Tan  
Eye Color: Dark Brown  
Quirk: Unknown  
Strengths: Unknown  
Weaknesses: Unknown_

Midoriya glanced over his notes on the new exchange students one more time. Nobasu and Briana seemed to have rather versatile quirks, Midoriya wondered what the extent of their powers were. If Briana's telekinesis was like his mom's it would be on the weaker side, but even if she were only able to move a small amount of earth at a time it could potentially turn into a near lethal projectile. Nobasu was pretty vague about how he actually uses his quirk, but if it's dependent on light that gives him a clear disadvantage in the darkness.  
_"Kind of like a reverse Tokoyama."_ Thought Midoriya. Then there was Tak, Midoriya wished that he had shared his quirk earlier. It was eating him alive not knowing, but all would be revealed soon enough; you can't go long in a hero school without using your quirk after all. And Midoriya couldn't really blame Tak for being so closed off during introductions. If he had been standing in front of a new class halfway across the world speaking a second language well, Midoriya would be a bit nervous too.

"My weight is wrong." The sound of Nobasu's voice snapped Midoriya out of his train of thought.

"W-what? What are you talking about?" Stammered Midoriya as he slammed his notebook closed. Nobasu stood by Midoriya, eyeing the young boy, a small stack of books and notebooks in his arms. Most people didn't appreciate being profiled so Midoriya prepared himself to be told off. Nobasu, however, smiled and brushed a strand of his long hair out of his face.

"The weight you have me down for, it's wrong. By a wide margin too, everyone else's seems pretty accurate." Nobasu chuckled. Midoriya simply blinked in confusion.

"You're, not mad?" He asked. Nobasu shrugged as he turned on his heel.

"Eh, I'm used to it." He began to walk towards the front of the class where Briana and Tak were talking with Mr. Aizawa.

"Wait, so, what _is_ your weight?" Called Midoriya.

"Isn't that your job to figure out, Mr. Analyst?" Countered Nobasu over his shoulder. He joined his friends at the front as Midoriya sat back in his chair.

"_Never had that reaction." _He mused. _"Maybe if the others are as calm about it as he is I can get more information from them. But what did he mean he was used to it?"_

"Deku!"

"Aah! What!?" Midoriya was startled out of his thoughts a second time as Uraraka bounced over next to him.

"C'mon it's time to go, most everyone else has left already." Midoriya looked around and saw that it was true. More than half the class had already wandered off after Aizawa ended his lesson. It was the last class of the day after all, so there was no need to hang around. Midoriya gathered his things inside his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he stood.

"So, what do you think of the new students?" Asked Uraraka.

"They seem nice, save for the Tak guy." Responded Midoriya.

"Right? I can't wait to get to know them better." Uraraka looked past Midoriya and frowned. "Oh but I can't just go up and start interrogating them, that would be weird. I wonder if-" Uraraka was cut off as both she and Midoriya noticed Mineta walking past them, a hungry look in his eye.

"A chocolate goddess." Mumbled the small boy to himself as he made a slow beeline for Briana. "An amazonian angel, she's so tall my eyes are practically level with those luscious legs. I am forever grateful this school's uniform is a skirt. I must see."

"Uuh, should we stop him?" Asked Uraraka. As Midoriya opened his mouth to reply Mineta crossed in front of the classroom's open door. A line of white tape shot out from the hallway and snagged the back of Mineta's shirt. Like a fish on a line Mineta was yanked out of the room. It happened so fast that Midoriya would have missed it had he blinked. The sound of Sero's scolding voice mingled with Mineta's cry of indignation faded away as Midoriya shook his head. The exchange students continued talking with Mr. Aizawa, oblivious to the awkward confrontation that had just been avoided.

"Your suitcases have been dropped off at the dorm rooms already, you should find everything you need to get settled in there. You'll find class schedules and maps of the school there as well. Classes are done for today so go and take your time getting things put away." Aizawa turned to the back of the classroom. "Iida! Yaoyorozu!" He called. The two students, laden with their bookbags, joined Aizawa at the front of the class. "Show them to the dorms. I'm putting you two in charge of making sure they get what they need."

"Understood!" Replied Iida with a short bow.

"We'd be delighted to." Agreed Yaoyorozu. "Follow me please." She and Iida led the exchange students into the hallway. Iida launched into a practiced speech as they walked, talking about the history of the school and the various classes it offered.

"Let's go with them! It'll be fun." Said Uraraka, tugging on Midoriya's shirt.

"Yeah sure thing." Replied Midoriya. He pulled his hero notebook and a pencil out of his bag as they trotted to catch up with the others. The exchange students didn't seem fazed by his note taking habit and this would be the perfect chance to pick up on some more info.

"Iida wait up we're coming with you!" Called Uraraka. Iida waved his hand in acknowledgement but did not stop his speech. Midoriya and Uraraka joined the group as they walked through the building. Yaoyorozu acted as the guide while Iida talked, occasionally throwing in her two cents as she directed the group through the building. Briana and Nobasu seemed genuinely interested in Iida's speech and prodded him with questions whenever the conversation reached a lull. Tak hung in the back near Midoriya and Uraraka, his hands jammed in his pockets as he stared at the floor. In a few moments the students were outside on the campus grounds, the late afternoon sun shining brightly overhead.

"Mmm, not as good as California but that sunshine feels nice." Said Nobasu as he slid off his school jacket. He undid the buttons on his sleeves and neatly rolled them to his elbows. His pale forearms seemed to glow in the sunlight. Briana lifted her arms over her head and stretched as they walked.

"Aah it sure does! I hate being cramped up in a classroom all day, those desks and chairs are way too small." She lamented.

"Or you're too big." Muttered Tak. Brianna bonked him on the head as she brought her arms down, disheveling his hair. Tak pushed his hair back into place and Midoriya got a good look at his hand for the first time. It had a thick patch of blonde hair on the back of it, almost like fur. His fingers were somewhat stubby and had a slight curl to them. The skin that was visible on his hand and fingers was laden with scar tissue. It looked like Tak had tried to knuckle bump a blender. As if he could feel Midoriya's eyes Tak cut a glance at him and jammed his hand back in his pocket.

"So, since you're all from a boarding school I'm sure you'll be used to staying on campus." Said Iida as they approached the dorm rooms. "There will be a list of rules alongside your class schedule when we get to your rooms. It's pretty standard stuff but let me know if you have any questions."

"Curfew." Said Tak suddenly.

"Sorry?" Asked Iida, it was the first that Tak had spoken up and his voice was slightly muffled by his mask. Tak responded, louder this time.

"What time is curfew?"

"Oh, on regular school nights curfew is at 10 O'clock. On non-school nights there is technically no curfew but the gates to the school will lock at midnight so it's best to be back before then if you intend to spend the night on campus."

"Hm, thanks." Tak furrowed his eyebrows and seemed to be calculating something in his head. Nobasu shot him a concerned glance as the group approached class 1-A's dorm. The huge five story building towered over them, its separate wings rising into the air in twin peaks. A giant 1-A sign sat centered above the front door, separating the right and left wing. It gleamed in the sunlight underscored by a placard that read ALLIANCE. The building was spotless and Midoriya felt pride well up in his chest as the exchange students marveled at the dormitory. Briana let out a short whistle.

"Whew, would ya look at that, sure looks nicer than the ones back home." She said.

"Much cozier." Agreed Nobasu. "Doesn't help that ours is a refurbished prison though, but man this thing looks brand new." Tak said nothing as his eyes scanned over the building, he seemed to be searching for something.

"They are new!" Replied Yaoyorozu happily. "They were constructed just a few weeks ago to accommodate the students living on campus."

"They're called the Heights Alliance dormitories and they were built so that the students could have a safer, more convenient living arrangement while at school." Followed Iida. "Let's go inside, I'm sure you're eager to unpack." The group scaled the small white stairs leading to the front doors and entered the dormitory. A cool rush of air greeted them as they walked into the commons area. To their right Mina and Tsuyu were seated on one of the couches chatting casually while a home renovation show played on the tv.  
Tak's eyes widened and his head snapped to the left, he pinched the top of his mask and pulled it away from his face about an inch. Midoriya tried to get a look at his face, but the mask still blocked his view. Tak inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, a content look on his face. Briana was about to ask him what he was doing when a delicious smell drifted past her nose.

"Oh, that smells fantastic!" She exclaimed.

"That must be Sato." Commented Yaoyorozu. "He often cooks sweets for his training in the kitchen area." It was true, past the dining area to the left Sato could be seen in the kitchen carefully removing a tray with some sort of baked good set in neat rows on it. Iida cleared his throat as he turned to face the group.

"So, as you can see the entire first floor is a commons area. Here you will find the dining area, kitchen, baths, laundry and the television. Feel free to make use of any of the amenities while you are here. The dorm is divided into two wings, the left wing houses the female living quarters and the right wing houses the males. Floors 2-5 in either wing are where the rooms are located." Iida was interrupted as Mina and Tsuyu caught wind of Sato's baking.

"Satoooo!" Yelled Mina as she turned on the couch. "That smells soooo good can I have one?!"

"You don't have to yell Mina we could just walk down there." Chided Tsuyu.

"You get _one_!" Sato yelled back with aggression. "These are for my training you can't eat the whole batch like last time!"

"Yes!" Mina hopped off the couch excitedly and made her way to the kitchen, waving to Nobasu and the others as she passed. Tsuyu followed closely behind her.

"Welcome to the dorm." She croaked with a smile. Once they passed Iida began again.

"Anyway, Yaoyorozu if you and Uraraka will show Briana to her room Midoriya and I will lead Tak and Nobasu to theirs."

"Absolutely, this way please." Yaoyorozu walked towards the kitchen with Briana and Uraraka in tow.

"Ooh this will be fun!" Exclaimed Uraraka with a little hand wave. "Briana did you bring lots of decorations? I'd love to help you put them up.

"Oh just a few small things. We really couldn't fit a whole lot on the plane." She replied.

"Then we need to go shopping later! I know a few stores where you can get things really cheap…" Their conversation faded as the trio made their way past the kitchen. Iida led the boys to a door behind the tv area that led to the stairs. Their footsteps echoed up the long spiraling staircase as they ascended to the second floor. Iida swung open the door to the second floor, he and Nobasu stepped through.

"Mr. Aizawa said that Tak's room is on the third floor." Said Iida. "Midoriya could you please take him up there?"

"Oh, uh sure thing." He replied. As Iida closed the door Nobasu gave Midoriya a knowing grin and threw him a quick two finger salute. Midoriya was unsure of how to respond.

"Well, let's uh, go get you set up." Midoriya's voice bounced around the stairwell as he turned. "Tak?" The short blonde boy was gone. A door opened and closed somewhere higher up in the stairwell. "H-hey wait for me!"

"Wow Briana you have a ton of sports gear!" Uraraka marveled at the collection of equipment they had just helped Briana unpack. There seemed to be representation for every major sport in the room. In the corner was a bin with a soccer ball, basketball, volleyball, football, and at least a dozen softballs. A tube of tennis balls along with a racquet sat on the dresser next to a pair of boxing gloves. A neat line of athletic shoes and cleats bordered the wall next to the door. Uraraka picked up a well-worn softball mitt that was easily the size of her head from a pile of gear they had yet to find a place for. "Do you play all these different sports?"

"Only a few of them competitively." Replied Briana sheepishly. She set a battered softball bat in the corner next to the ball bin. "Sorry I know this must seem kinda weird."

"No no not at all!" Assured Yaoyorozu with a wave of her hand. "It's wonderful you have a hobby you're so passionate about. But I must ask, is this all you brought? Didn't you bring anything to hang up?" Briana twirled one of her braids in her fingers.

"W-Well, like I said there was only so much room in my bags. And between my clothes and my equipment I didn't have room for any decorations and stuff."

"I see." Yaoyorozu frowned. "Hmmm, how about this?" Yaoyorozu reached down to her leg as the middle of her left thigh began to glow and sparkle. To Briana's surprise the girl pulled a small black metal sign from the shining mass on her leg. The sign was about the size of a dinner plate and had a script B imprinted in the middle of it. A small black wire formed a loop at the top of it. "For your door." Said Yaoyorozu, handing the sign to Briana with a smile. "I know it's a bit bland, but I hope you like it."

"Whaaaaat?" Briana took the sign and turned it over in her hands, her mouth agape.

"That's Yaoyorozu's quirk." Offered Uraraka. "It allows her to create pretty much anything from her body. She just has to understand how it's made."

"That's crazy!" Replied Briana, still marveling at the sign in her hands. "Thank you, this is awesome!"

"You're very welcome, here let's put it up." Yaoyorozu led the other girls into the hallway, the back of her hand shone as she pulled a pushpin out of it. Briana placed the sign in the middle of the door and Yaoyorozu stuck the pushpin through the loop.

"Great, it's officially your room now!" Chimed Uraraka.

"Thank you both for helping me unpack all my stuff, you really didn't have to." Said Briana

"Oh we were happy to do it." Assured Yaoyorozu.

"Yeah!" Agreed Uraraka. "All that's left is to go into town and get you some shelves for the rest of your stuff."

"We may have to wait until tomorrow for that." Said Yaoyorozu as she checked the time on her phone. "It's already seven o'clock. Why don't we go see if the others finished unpacking?"

"Sounds good to me." Replied Briana. The trio made their way to the stairs. When they arrived in the common area Iida, Midoriya, and Nobasu were seated at the kitchen eating ramen. The savory aroma of cooked noodles wafted through the air causing Briana's stomach to growl loudly.

"You sound hungry." Giggled Uraraka.

"Haha yeah, I haven't really eaten anything since lunch." She replied.

"I think we could all go for some food, and those noodles do smell fantastic!" Agreed Yaoyorozu as they approached the kitchen. "Iida, are there any noodles left?"

"Of course!" He replied, gesturing to a large pot on the stove. "I made plenty please help yourselves." The three girls happily spooned themselves a bowl of noodles and joined the boys at the table.

"You guys got unpacked quick." Said Uraraka.

"Nobasu didn't have a ton of stuff to unpack, just some clothes and a few boxes of different light fixtures." Replied Iida. "Midoriya helped as well which made the process much faster."

"Yeah, I tried to help Tak but he locked me out and wouldn't open the door." Midoriya laughed nervously. Briana frowned.

"He's just nervous about being in a new place." Said Nobasu calmly. "I'm sorry for how cold he's been but he just needs time to adjust."

_"I'll adjust him myself..." _Mumbled Briana into her noodles. The group chit-chatted as they ate their dinner. There was a steady stream of questions directed at Nobasu and Briana about life in America, their school, and making the move Japan. Nobasu did most of the talking while Briana chimed in occasionally in between bites. Time passed quickly as the conversation rolled on and soon an hour had passed in what seemed like a moment. Iida collected the empty bowls off the table and placed them in the dishwasher. He noticed Nobasu's bowl was still mostly full and emptied it into the garbage.

"Nobasu did you not like the noodles?" He asked. "I can get you something else if you want."

"Oh no they were delicious! I'm sorry I just wasn't very hungry I got plenty of light today."

"You eat light?" Asked Midoriya, suddenly intrigued. Nobasu laughed.

"In a sense, yes. I can survive off of water and light because of my quirk. I really only eat food when I haven't absorbed enough light during the day. Sitting in a classroom all day generally provides more than enough."

"You're like a plant!" Exclaimed Uraraka. "Do different types of light have different tastes?"

"Well it's not really a taste per say, more like a feeling. Sunshine feels the best, nothing beats pure sunlight."

"Very interesting." Said Iida as he sat back down at the table. "What's the longest you've gone without eating?" Nobasu tilted his head up and squinted.

"Well, I've never kept track of the exact time, but there have been entire summers where I barely ate anything."

"Somebody talking about food? I'm starved." The group turned to see Kirishima approaching from the commons area, a toothy smile on his face. The red haired boy was wearing a pair of black shorts and an orange tank top.

"There are some noodles on the stove, help yourself." Responded Iida.

"All right, you're the man Iida!" Kirishima made a bowl of noodles and leaned on the counter as he waited for them to cool. "So uh, class ended hours ago guys, why are you still in uniform?"

"Oh my goodness!" Exclaimed Yaoyorozu. "We've been so busy I didn't even realize."

"Well there's not much point in changing now." Said Uraraka. "It's already after eight."

"I'm sorry y'all, it only took so long because of all my equipment." Said Briana, twirling one of her braids in her finger.

"Equipment?" Asked Kirishima.

"Briana's got a huge collection of sports gear, it's really cool you should see it!" Answered Uraraka.

"Oh, so you like to play sports?" Kirishima raised an eyebrow at Briana who continued to fiddle with her hair.

"I, uh, I enjoy a little competition." She replied. Nobasu sniffed and leaned over to Midoriya.

"Understatement of the year." He whispered.

"Really?" Kirishima grinned, oblivious to the whispering. He set his bowl down on the counter. "How about we arm wrestle?"

"Kirishima I don't think that's-"

"C'mon it'll be fun." The young boy cut off Yaoyorozu and stepped up to the table across from Briana who still looked uneasy but did not back away. Kirishima leaned over and placed his elbow on the table. Briana did likewise and took the boys hand. She had a clear size advantage, her hand nearly covering Kirishima's as her fingers wrapped around the back of his wrist. Kirishima grinned and braced himself on the table.

"Don't hold back on me." He said. Briana's grip suddenly tightened and the unease in her face faded. She returned Kirishima's smile. Nobasu slid back from the table.

"Midoriya count us off!" Demanded Kirishima. The two were already pressing against one another in anticipation, and clasped hands shook in the air.

"Oh, uh, on three then." Suggested Midoriya. "One, two, three…. Go!" The table shook as Briana and Kirishima strained against one another. For several seconds their enclosed hands did not move, but quaked in the air. Suddenly a vein bulged in Kirishima's shoulder and his eyes widened in surprise as his arm began to be pushed down. Briana leveraged her longer arm on the table and pressed her advantage, letting out a grunt as she slammed Kirishima's hand against the table. There was a chorus of cheers from the group at the table as Briana stood upright, shooting her arms into the air.

"_Ha! How's that you ginger headed hedgehog?!" _She yelled in English. Nobasu howled with laughter as the rest of the group quieted down. Briana quickly regained her composure and sat back down at the table; a hint of red flashed across her face. "I mean, that was fun Kirishima."

"Dang girl you have got a killer grip." Marveled Kirishima as he massaged his hand. "We need to spar together some time you are really strong."

"Sure that sounds like fun, as long as you don't hold back on me." Replied Briana with a grin. Kirishima smiled and scooped up his bowl of noodles before walking off towards the T.V. area. Nobasu continued to snicker quietly off to the side.

"What's so funny?" Asked Uraraka. Briana shot Nobasu a death glare.

"Ooooh nothing." He replied, brushing his hair out of his face. "Just out of curiosity any of you speak English?"

"I know a bit." Answered Yaoyorozu. "But I didn't quite catch what was said in the commotion." Briana silently breathed a sigh of relief as she slid back from the table.

"Well it's getting pretty late and I'm still pretty tired from the trip, so I think I'm gonna call it a night." The rest of the group murmured in agreement and stood with her. Briana, Uraraka, and Yaoyorozu walked back towards the girls' area while Nobasu slid off towards the boys'.

"Iida is there anything left to cleanup?" Asked Midoriya as the group dispersed.

"Just the big pot but I'm going to leave it out for a bit longer in case anybody else wants some so don't worry about it." He replied. Midoriya suddenly had a thought.

"Oh, let me take a bowl up to Tak he's probably hungry."

"Excellent idea." Iida prepared another bowl and handed it to Midoriya. "I'm sure he will appreciate it." It took Midoriya a few minutes to reach Tak's door as he had to be careful not to spill the steaming meal. Midoriya knocked and called out to Tak several times but got no response. He tried the handle, but the door was still locked. Midoriya sighed and tried one more time.

"I just thought you might be hungry Tak, so I brought you some food. If you don't want- gah!" Midoriya flinched as the door suddenly swung open and Tak, still in his uniform, stepped forward into the hallway. His dark eyes peered at Midoriya from underneath his mess of hair. Tak snatched the bowl and brought it close to his face as he inhaled deeply. As fast as he moved, Midoriya was surprised that Tak didn't spill the noodles. Tak adjusted the surgical mask over his face.

"Thanks." He said curtly as he stepped back into his room and slammed the door.

"No problem." Replied Midoriya to the door.


	3. Chapter 3

As Midoriya walked along the paved path to the main school building he couldn't help but appreciate what a beautiful day it was. The morning sun hung just above the horizon as the last orange and red rays of the sunrise faded behind the school and gave way to a wonderful bright blue sky that was spotted with white, puffy clouds. The air was cool and smelled like morning dew. A light breeze ruffled Midoriya's hair, he stopped walking for a moment and took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly with a smile. Today was going to be a good day.

"Hey." Midoriya nearly jumped out of his skin as Tak walked up beside him. The short blond boy was wearing his school uniform, but it seemed a bit wrinkled. Had he slept in it, or just left it on the floor last night?

"H-hey Tak." Said Midoriya as his pulse slowed back down. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming up behind me." Tak shrugged and stared at Midoriya, his hands jammed firmly in his pockets. There was a pause, Midoriya found it hard to read Tak's expression behind his surgical mask. "So uh, did you-"

"Thanks again for the soup last night." Blurted Tak suddenly. "It was good." Tak turned on his heel and continued walking towards the school.

"Oh, uh, no problem!" Midoriya called after him. Tak made no indication he heard Midoriya. "No problem at all." Midoriya scratched his head and continued making his way towards the school, maintaining a healthy distance from Tak, which wasn't difficult as the boy walked at quick pace. It wasn't long before Tak turned a corner and Midoriya lost sight of him. Midoriya arrived at 1-A's classroom with plenty of time to spare before class and waved at Ida who was already seated and readying his notes for the morning. Ida was the only student who ever beat Midoriya to class. Midoriya scanned the room for Tak and was surprised to see that he wasn't there.  
_"Where could Tak have been going this early?" _Wondered Midoriya. As he set his backpack next to his desk Midoriya heard the door to the classroom slide open. Nobasu slid into the room and waved to get Ida's attention.  
"Hey Ida, Briana just texted me and said she forgot the way to the classroom. Do you think you could meet her out front and help her out?"  
"Certainly!" Replied Ida as he shot up from his seat. "The school is quite large I'll have to be sure she gets a map later." As Ida hurried out the door Nobasu walked over to Midoriya.  
"I'm surprised Briana didn't just ask you to come help her Nobasu." Said Midoriya.  
"Oh she did, I just didn't want to walk back downstairs." He replied coyly. Nobasu approached Midoriya and crossed his arms. "Also, I wanted to talk with you in private for a moment." Nobasu's tone was soft and serious.  
"Uh, sure, is something wrong?" Asked Midoriya.  
"No." He replied. "Well, not yet at least. That's what I want to talk about. It's Tak you see." Nobasu brushed a strand of his long, black hair out of his face. "I'm sure you've noticed but he has certain…. difficulties with meeting new people."  
"He is very… blunt." Said Midoriya, choosing his words carefully.  
"You're being nice." Nobasu replied. "Tak is terribly introverted, self-conscious, and is plagued by self-doubt. He'd also kill me if he knew we were having this conversation so let's please keep this between us." Nobasu's normally smooth face was riddled with worry lines. Midoriya nodded and he continued.  
"You see, Tak has a transformation quirk. A _strong _transformation quirk that has the potential to make him a serious powerhouse." Nobasu shook his head and sighed. "The things he could be capable of, if only he wasn't so scared."  
"I don't understand." Said Midoriya, eager to hear more. "He doesn't want to use his quirk because he's scared? Scared of what?" Nobasu checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming down the hall.  
"In a word, it's people. Tak fears people. I don't know all the details myself, and I feel like I'm oversharing already, but Tak had a pretty rough upbringing. Some things happened to him when he was little that made him lose trust in others. Apparently, it was some sort of accident involving his quirk and ever since then Tak has been afraid of his quirk and how people will react to it"  
"That sounds awful." Said Midoriya. Nobasu nodded his head.  
"That's why I need your help."  
"Help with what?" Asked Midoriya.  
"Help with Tak!" Replied Nobasu. "I watched the way you interact with your classmates. You seem to be the type of guy who's friends with everybody. I need you to share some of that with Tak. "O-okay, but how?"  
"Just keep doing what you are doing. Tak thrives when he is comfortable with the people he is around. Back home he has really made strides with our entire class and made some serious developments with his quirk, but he still struggles when faced with new people. Those old insecurities start to creep back up on him." Nobasu exhaled a short breath. "He even started wearing that mask again once we got here. Point being, I noticed you made a couple of attempts to befriend Tak already. Please don't give up on him, and if you could help Briana get him to mesh with the rest of the class I would really appreciate it."  
Midoriya felt a bit overwhelmed by the request. It was true he naturally tried to befriend the people around him, and he was on good terms with pretty much everybody in the class. But this was the first time somebody had ever asked him for something like this. Midoriya didn't exactly know how to respond, but he did want to help.  
"I'll do what I can." He answered with a nod. "Class 1-A is a good group, we have some strong personalities sure, but most everyone has a naturally friendly disposition. It shouldn't be too hard to make Tak feel welcome." Nobasu exhaled, and his face returned to its usual pleasant expression.  
"Thank you Midoriya, that makes me feel better." Nobasu clapped Midoriya on the shoulder. "Of course, I'm not asking you to do this for nothing. You like to study quirks, right? I know a lot of the transfer students who came to this school. For some reason many of them came from the districts surrounding my school back home. If you want information on any of them, I'll get it to you for your analyst notebook."  
"That would be amazing!" Exclaimed Midoriya, his eyes twinkling. Nobasu laughed. Midoriya rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean yeah, that would be good."  
"Here's a tidbit for my page." Nobasu pulled a small pocketknife from his front pants pocket and flipped it open. The handle was made of a light brown wood and the blade was a polished silver that shone in the light. Nobasu ran the blade hard over the back of his hand making a long shallow cut. Midoriya winced at the sight but Nobasu simply smiled and raised his cut hand so Midoriya could get a clearer view.  
"Whaaaat the heck?" Midoriya stared in wonder as the cut slowly excreted a nearly transparent green fluid. The fluid gathered to a small drop on the end of Nobasu's hand while the long cut closed itself up and reformed the cut skin, sealing off the wound. Nobasu took his palm and wiped off the fluid to show that the cut was completely gone.  
"I told you before that I can use the energy I gather from light in different ways. One of them is self-healing. I can heal from some pretty nasty stuff given I have enough energy stored up."  
"And your blood? It was green!" Yelled Midoriya.  
"Doctors say my biology is closer to that of a plant than that of a human. So, there you go, a two for one info tidbit. Consider it a thank you for already trying to make friends with Tak." Nobasu closed his knife and slid it back into his pocket. "Speaking of which, I should probably go find him before class starts. He tends to lose track of time exploring new places." Nobasu walked to the door and slid it open.  
"Nobasu." Called Midoriya.  
"Yes?"  
"You've put a lot of faith in me here, I promise I'll do everything I can to make Tak feel at home."  
"I'm counting on it." Nobasu walked out of the classroom, leaving Midoriya alone to process the situation. It really was a strange request, and Midoriya still wasn't convinced he was the right person for the job, but he could think about that later. Right now, he had some additions to make to his hero notebook.

The rest of the day proceeded rather normally. Class 1-A ran through their usual schedule while Nobasu, Briana, and Tak fell in line best they could. It wasn't until the very end of the school day that Aizawa announced what their hero training for the day would be.  
"All right class, listen up." Aizawa stood by his desk at the front of the classroom and scratched at the scruff on his neck. "Today we will be running through the hostage exercise. I know you're all familiar with how it works but given our new additions I'll explain it again. In the hostage exercise there are two teams of three heroes. Team A will have a dummy hostage in their possession and their job is to move the hostage from one location to another, safely. Team B will be trying to prevent Team A from getting the hostage to the secondary location. This can be done by abducting the hostage, incapacitating Team A, or otherwise creating a situation in which the path the secondary location is blocked."  
"So it's like a heroes vs villain' situation?" Asked Briana with her hand raised.  
"It's natural to think of Team A as the villains due to the word hostage but this is just a label. The ultimate goal of both teams is to keep the hostage safe while dealing with the other team. In that sense, Team B may just as well be the villains trying to abduct a civilian that Team A is escorting. It's all about perspective." Briana nodded her head, but her forehead was still scrunched in confusion. "It will make more sense once we get out to the field. We are going to use the industrial field for the exercise today, everybody change into your hero costumes and meet at Ground Gamma."  
Midoriya, along with the rest of the class shuffled into the hallway and began to make their way to the locker rooms. Class 1-B had just gotten out at the same time and were moving in a group a bit further down the hallway. Midoriya spotted a few faces he had never seen before, he wondered if Nobasu knew them. One in particular hung at the back of the group, an average sized boy with gray, buzzcut hair and tan skin. A chatter of conversation filled the hallway as they walked but Midoriya was deaf to it, he was too excited about getting to see Nobasu, Briana, and Tak's quirks in action.  
_"It would be great to get teamed up with one of them." _He thought to himself. _"But on the other hand, I could make more observations by watching. Maybe I can sneak my notebook out onto the field? No, I don't want it getting damaged." _  
"Bakugo look alive!" Midoriya felt an object whizz by his head and smack something behind him. He turned to see Bakugo, shaking with anger, a large ball of duct tape stuck squarely on his forehead. Kaminari, who had thrown the duct tape ball was already running quickly down the hallway, laughing hysterically. Bakugo tore the ball of tape off his face and shoved Midoriya aside.  
"Blow it out your ass Denki!" Bakugo reared back chucked the ball at Kaminari, enhancing the throw with a small explosion. Kaminari anticipated the throw and ducked as he ran, causing the smoldering ball of tape to shoot over his head, directly towards class 1-B. The ball raced down the hallway and was on a beeline to nail buzzcut boy in the back of the head. But just as the ball was about to make contact, the boy's head snapped to the side and he whipped his hand up next to his ear, catching the ball. The boy never broke stride as he walked and casually dropped the ball of tape off in the trashcan. Kaminari raced past him and began to push through class 1-B, giggling like a little kid.  
"When I catch you, you're dead! You hear me!?" Bakugo yelled as he quickly made his way after Kaminari. Midoriya looked around, but he seemed to be the only one to notice buzzcut boy's amazing catch. He made a mental not to ask Nobasu about him later. After a few minutes of walking the group made it to the locker rooms. The boys and girls split up and went into their respective rooms. As Midoriya walked to his locker he saw Kaminari was already seated in front of his own locker, nursing a welt on the side of his head. Bakugo strode by with a foul look on his face, already decked out in his hero costume.  
"Out of the way runt!" He yelled. Midoriya turned to see Bakugo staring down Tak, who had just walked in the door. Tak stood in the doorway and stared up at Bakugo, his hands clamped onto the strap of a duffel bag that was slung over his shoulder. Tak's expression was impossible to read behind his mask. "What can you not hear me down there? I said move!" Bakugo raised his arm to pull Tak out of the doorway but before he could Tak slipped to the side and walked past Bakugo, straight to the back of the locker room. Bakugo slammed the door open and walked out. Midoriya frowned and began changing into his costume. He was going to have to do something about Bakugo if he wanted to keep his promise to Nobasu. As if on cue Nobasu walked up next to Midoriya, he had a small slip of paper with a number written on it.  
"Seems I've been assigned the locker next to yours." He said as he turned the combination into the dial. "That Bakugo has got quite a temper, doesn't he?" Nobasu slung his bag into the locker and began to tie back his hair.  
"Yeah he does, and it's gotten worse since he failed the hero license exam a little while ago. He's been in a bad mood ever since." As Nobasu changed Midoriya watched Tak find his locker and put his duffel bag inside it. His shoulders were hunched as he gathered the contents of the bag into his arms and walked into the bathroom that was attached to the locker room. Midoriya heard one of the stall doors creak open and close. Nobasu sighed and closed his locker.  
"Still as shy as ever. Just leave him be for now, he'll be more comfortable if he can change in peace."  
"If you say so." Replied Midoriya with a frown. He turned back to Nobasu and raised his eyebrows. "Is that your whole costume?" Nobasu had tied back his hair in a tight braid so that it looked like a long, black, segmented chord. The only other piece of clothing he wore was a pair of tight black shorts that hung to his mid-thigh. He wasn't even wearing shoes. Nobasu's body was toned but not muscular, and his pale skin contrasted sharply with his pitch-black hair.  
"I also have a utility belt I sometimes carry with me, but yeah for training and hero practice this is usually all I wear. The power of my quirk is solely dependent on the amount of light I can absorb, so the more skin that is exposed the better." Nobasu turned and walked to the door. "I've long since gotten over any embarrassment the outfit causes. I'll see you out there."  
In the locker room next door, the girls were also changing into their costumes. All of them were nearly done save for Mina, who was standing at her locker with a scowl on her face.  
"Ugh!" She exclaimed, pounding her fist on the small metal door. "Open you stupid locker! I'm about to melt you off your hinges!"  
"Is your locker jammed Mina!" Asked Tsuyu, raising a finger to her mouth.  
"Yeah." Replied Mina, giving the locker another smack. "It's happened before, there's a little piece of metal that's warped on the inside and it catches on the door. Ugh, so annoying!"  
Briana, who had just finished putting on her costume, overheard the conversation and walked over the Mina's locker.  
"Um, let me try something." She said. Mina and Tsuyu both moved out of the way. Briana placed her fingertips on the locker door and peered at the metal. A soft purple glow came over her eyes as Briana turned her hand over the locker. A low metallic groan came from within the door and Briana withdrew her hand.  
"Okay, try it now." She said. Mina turned her combination into the locker again and it clicked open without a hitch.  
"Yes!" She cried. "Thank you so much Briana that has been bugging me all year!"  
"So you can control metal? That's impressive" Commented Tsuyu.  
"Well there are traces of earthen materials in most metals. It's a lot more difficult the move metal than rocks but yeah I can do little things like that if I concentrate."  
"That's so cool!" Cooed Mina, her eyes sparkling. "And by the way your costume is awesome! So rugged looking, I love it!"  
"Oh, th-thank you." Replied Briana with a slight blush. "It emphasizes function over fashion, so I know it's not really a flashy costume." Briana's costume consisted of a dark green pair of cargo pants tucked into black combat boots that were laced up tightly. A Silver cord wrapped through the loops on her pants acted as a belt. She wore silver metallic elbow and knee pads that shone in the light and her thick braided hair was tied back with a camo bandana. A tight black crop top covered here upper body, her muscular abs poking out from underneath. The outfit was completed by a pair of black fingerless gloves with thick leather studs on the knuckles.  
"It actually looks pretty similar to Bakugo's costume." Commented Tsuyu.  
"Hey you guys let's get going!" Said Uraraka as she walked to the door. "It's a long walk to Ground Gamma and we don't need to be late."  
"Crap! I still have to get my costume on, you guys go ahead I'll catch up." As Mina scrambled to get dressed the rest of the girls filed out of the locker room, eager to get to training.

"All right listen up, when I call your name step forward. You all know the drill." Class 1-A was lined up in the observation room on Ground Gamma. Mr. Aizawa stood next to the huge monitor on the wall used to view the various areas of the training ground. He held a clipboard in his hand and began to list off a string of names. "Group one: Uraraka, Briana, and Aoyama." The three students stepped forward obediently and stood next to one another beside Mr. Aizawa.  
"Hey hey, we're on the same team." Whispered Uraraka with a smile and a nudge. Briana smiled back and nodded.  
"Yeah, let's do our best." Both girls looked over to Aoyama who pointed a finger in the air and winked.  
"Oui Oui ladies, let's win beautifully." Mr. Aizawa cleared his throat and continued.  
"Group two: Tokoyama, Nobasu, and Jiro." The other trio gathered opposite to the first.  
"You thrive in the light, and I in the darkness. This should be interesting." Commented Tokoyama. Nobasu grinned and cut a side glance at Jiro, who was eyeing his outfit, her cheeks tinged pink. He caught her eye and gave her a wink. Jiro quickly turned her head, her blush deepening.  
"Yeah, I think it will." Replied Nobasu coyly.  
"Group one will be escorting the hostage and group two will be attempting to impede the escort. Use any means necessary to succeed, outside of gratuitous violence, of course. Any questions?" The students remained silent. "Good." Suddenly a map of Ground Gamma appeared on the screen behind Aizawa. Two large yellow dots flashed on opposite ends of the map. "We'll use the usual starting points for both teams, group one will start at the back of the grounds and attempt to escort the hostage to the front entrance. Group two starts at the entrance, hop to it. We have a lot of groups to get through today."  
Both groups of students jogged to the double doors that led out to the grounds. The rest of the students took seats around the observation room and began to chat quietly while they waited.  
"So, what do you think?" Asked Ida, pulling up two chairs for himself and Midoriya. It had become routine for the two of them to discuss the matchups whenever the class ran hero drills.  
"Well Uraraka and Aoyama have worked well together in the past, so I don't think coordination will be an issue. Also, they have the benefit of Aoyama's laser effectively shutting down Dark Shadow. On the flipside, neither of them can effectively counter Jiro's sound wave attacks, so it will be interesting to see how they deal with that." Ida nodded in agreement. The screen changed again to a split overhead view of the two groups. Nobasu, Tokoyama, and Jiro had taken their place at the starting zone while Uraraka, Briana, and Aoyama were still jogging to the back of the grounds.  
"I feel it's a relatively balanced matchup." Said Ida. "It will all come down to how strong the two new students are, and how well they work with the others."  
"Briana's team will win." Both Ida and Midoriya jumped at the sudden input. Tak had appeared beside Midoriya, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Nobasu can't fight well without his partner, but Briana is a solo hero. She's stronger, she'll win." Tak spoke as though it were fact, it was the most Midoriya had heard him speak at once.  
Although Tak was still wearing his mask, Midoriya noticed he had changed into his costume. Surprisingly, it was the most extravagant of the three exchange students' costumes. Tak wore a bright yellow one-piece jumpsuit that seemed to be made of a flexible, spandex-like material. The sides of the jumpsuit had long, white claw mark designs running down the side. The chest of the outfit was split open like it had been ripped, revealing a large patch of blonde chest hair. He wore simple black shoes that blended well with his outfit, his arms were crossed, covering his hands. It looked like a true hero outfit, save for one thing. Tak wore a thick, black metal choker tightly around his neck. There were three small unlit bulbs on the front of the choker. It, along with the mask, were the only pieces of the outfit that seemed out of place.  
"What do you mean partner?" Ida asked. Tak remained silent. Midoriya saw an opportunity.  
"Hey Tak, remember those noodles I brought you the other night?" Tak nodded. "Well, Ida was the one who made them." Tak turned his eyes on Ida and stared at him for a moment.  
"Thank you." He said finally. "They were good." Tak turned back to the screen.  
"I actually read a bit about Tak's school the other night." Said Midoriya, trying to fill the silence. "The hero program there allows students whose quirks are too weak or don't work well alone pair up with other students for entrance exams. If the two students make it in together, they stay paired up while they are in school. Is that right Tak?" Tak nodded again.  
"Nobasu and I both have partners," he said. "but Briana got in on her own." Midoriya frowned. If what Nobasu had told him was true, then Tak should be strong enough to fight well on his own. Had he exaggerated Tak's power? Midoriya took another look at Tak, his costume seemed a bit too loose for his body, though it was made from a material that was clearly supposed to be tight fitting. He certainly didn't look very powerful, in fact he looked rather thin, like a stiff breeze would knock him down.  
"I see, that's very interesting." Ida crossed his arms. "Yes, I can see the benefit of running your program that way, much more inclusive." Ida rose from his seat and grabbed another chair that was close by for Tak. The three students then turned back to the screen and waited.

Outside the sun shone brightly, Tokoyama adjusted his cloak, giving Dark Shadow more shade from the bright light. A buzzer would sound through the grounds soon, indicating the start of the drill. Tokoyama turned to Nobasu, who was laying spread eagle on his back, soaking in as much sun as possible. His pale skin was glowing in the light, like a dimly lit lightbulb. His eyes were closed, and he had a content grin on his face.  
"So," began Tokoyama. "Our chances of success will be much greater if we formulate a strategy."  
"I agree." Replied Nobasu, moving nothing but his mouth. "Let's start by exchanging information. I'm sorry to say, but my quirk has virtually no offensive capabilities without the aid of my partner. My body is quite durable though, so I'm not totally useless in combat."  
"That's fine." Replied Jiro, who was refusing to look at Nobasu. "Tokoyama and I can handle the offense. What _can _your quirk do?" She asked.  
"I can heal any wounds I receive given I have enough energy stored up, so I make a good shield." Nobasu laughed. "Hurts like hell though."  
"Hm, what about the other girl, Briana right? What's the extent of her power?" Asked Tokoyama. Nobasu laughed again and grimaced.  
"She's strong, has good control of her quirk, and may be the most competitive person I've ever met. She'd rather die than lose a competition, we are in for a tough fight. What about your classmates?"  
"Uraraka isn't particularly strong." Answered Jiro. "But she has great combat sense and can make anything she touches weightless. You'll need to watch out for her."  
"I fear Aoyama will be a greater challenge. He can shoot a laser from his stomach strong enough to break through concrete, it will be extremely effective against my Dark Shadow." Added Tokoyama. Nobasu's head snapped to attention.  
"Laser? What type of laser?" He asked.  
"I dunno." Said Jiro with a shrug. "A sparkly one. Why?" A knowing smile came across Nobasu's face and he jumped to his feet.  
"Okay, I think I have a plan."


End file.
